


a clear understanding

by sportsnightnut



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-27 05:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16212461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sportsnightnut/pseuds/sportsnightnut
Summary: When they’ve finished eating, Mulder sticks the leftover pizza in the fridge, and continues watching the game as Scully falls asleep on his shoulder.For leiascully's XF writing challenge #1: hot/cold.





	a clear understanding

**Author's Note:**

> Set in a totally ambiguous time. No ties to any particular episodes or arcs, but it’s worth it to note that they’re not together-together yet. :) Finished in 32 minutes (with slight pauses for coffee intake).
> 
> Thanks to leiascully for making this shindig happen. Writing challenges are good for my soul.
> 
> (Posting my Tumblr fic on AO3 so I can have it all easily linkable in the same place. :) )

“Want to stay at my place tonight?” Scully calls across the office, as she begins haphazardly throwing items from the desk into her bag. Notebook, pen, that granola bar she never opened. “We have to hit the road pretty early tomorrow.”

Mulder appears from behind a stack of boxes. “Sure, Scully,” he says, a smile forming at the corners of his lips. “But only if there’s pizza. No pizza, and the deal is off.”

She laughs. “Mulder, this deal benefits  _you_ , not me. You were going to pick me up in the morning anyway. I’m saving you the trouble of waking up at four-thirty am on a Tuesday. You can call off the deal if you want, but it’s your loss.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Are you saying you don’t want pizza?”

“Oh, no. I absolutely want pizza. I just wanted to make sure you had a clear understanding of the situation.”

It’s Mulder’s turn to chuckle. “Okay. Get whatever you want on it. Except olives. I hate those things.”

“You think I don’t know that after all these years?” Scully asks, smiling. “No olives, extra cheese, preferably no pineapple, but you’ll eat it if that’s what I want,” she recites.

“I just wanted to make sure you had a clear understanding of the situation,” Mulder parrots, ducking as Scully throws a book in his direction. 

“I deserved that,” he admits.

Two hours later, they sit cross-legged on the floor, their backs resting against the couch, a hot, cheesy pizza in front of them. Pepperoni, banana peppers, and extra cheese: their usual. Mulder scoops two slices on each paper plate as Scully flicks through the channels. It’s March, which means college basketball has overtaken every major network. She finds the Georgetown game and sets the remote on the carpet, eager to get started on the pizza.

She’s not much for basketball, but Mulder is. And even though she’ll never admit it, she enjoys it when he explains what’s happening. She always learns something, and never feels silly for asking questions. Somewhat of a trade, perhaps, for all the times she’s laid down science knowledge during their work together.

When they’ve finished eating, Mulder sticks the leftover pizza in the fridge, and continues watching the game as Scully falls asleep on his shoulder.

         

The alarm goes off, too early for Scully’s liking. She reaches for the nightstand to turn it off, but ends up swiping the small clock onto the floor. “Dammit,” she mumbles, and throws the covers off so she can retrieve the ringing clock.

Mulder’s already awake, somehow, showered and dressed, and he smiles when she enters the kitchen. “Good morning,” he greets her. “I couldn’t find your coffee.”

Scully rubs the sleep from her eyes. “I ran out a couple of days ago. I’ve been getting Starbucks on the way into the office.”

“Bummer,” he says. “We’ll just have to get some on the way. Breakfast?”

She reaches into the fridge and holds the pizza box out in front of her as if she’s offering it to Mulder as a gift. “Cold pizza?”

He grins and takes the box from her. “Why, Scully. You shouldn’t have gone to all that trouble. I mean, the presentation alone is just stunning. A grease-stained cardboard box. What more could I possibly want?”

“Well, I probably could have showered before I offered it to you,” Scully says, touching her tangled hair. “That might’ve made the presentation a little nicer.”

“Nah,” Mulder says, his mouth already full of cheese. “Ya look perfect, Scully.”

She blushes and purposely avoids eye contact for a moment as she sits down and reaches for a slice of pizza.

(She loves it when Mulder compliments her, but that’s another thing she’ll never admit.)


End file.
